Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
THE GARDENER.

Suiiilhtl pi 10 very uufuutus5Spuo
on trees and shrubs, and should be more
widely practiced. A iudcious thinning
out while the tree or shrub is growing
would save much work in the winter sea-
son, when it is too often the custom to get
the cowboy with shears, or q laborer with
AK or saw, to chop off the head and ire
trievahly ruin things. The finger and
thumb on the young branches Of pines
while they are growing have wonderful
effect on the beauty of the tree.
Evergreen trees love pruning rs well rs
deciduous. The Scotch pine and the Chi
nese arbor vitae are two plants which de-
rive much benefit from the pruning knife.
Both these are very liable 10 get ragged
when left entirely TO their natural in
clinations, but grow with beautiful COM
pact luxuriance under the occasional ap-
plication of the knife. The Scotch pine,
with judicious pruning, makes one of the
most beautiful ornaments of the lawn.
1t can be made to take many odd forms.
Deciduous shrubs may often be trained
into interesting forms. The wistaria simen-
sis, for instance, makes very interesting
object trained az small tree. If tied up
to stake for one or two years and then
suffered to stand alone it will mako o
pretty, round head, and when in spring
the pendant blossoms are in profusion it
makes unique ornament on the lawn.
The best material for soil for mountain
plants is rotted leaf soil, such as is made
at home or raked up from the hollows in
the woods. Also the thin lining of leaf
mould to be found in the hollows in rich
woods, and which may be skinned off with
sharp spade, is on excellent material.
This, mixed and chopped up, together
with little sharp sand added, forms a
soil in which most wild plants will estnb-
! lish themselves. After planting mulch the
ground with sphagnum moss.
In cutting grass with lawn mower on o
slope of considerable inclination, the
method customarily followed by some gar
deners is to attach rope TO the user of
the machine, said rope to be held by an
A second rope is frequently attached TO the
machine itself and is held by second as
sistant. 1t is suggested that the operator
be provided with pair of shoes having
/ double corrugated soles, such as are used
by lawn tennis players, instead Of cutting
the ludicrous figure described above.
An English gardener uses the following
inexpensive and useful contrivance for
lessening the stream of water flowing
from water pot, as is often necessary
when watering small plants and cuttings.
/ He procures n cork and burns hole
through its center by means of hot iron,
| and then inserts portion of goose quill
which is slightly longer than the cork it.
| self. The cork tapers SO that it will suit
! almost any watering pot.
/ Mulch is recommended for strawberry
culture to keep the ground cool and nice.
After the second hoeing, just as tie flowers
nre opening, correspondent writes that
he places cornstalks between the rows
right up under the plants. After the fruit
is gathered he takes up the stalks. This
is no great task in small patch. He then
keeps the ground hoed and clean all sum.
mer, cutting off all runners that come be.
tween the rows, but letting the plants
grow together in the row if they will.
l The second year is the great year il
strawberry culture. The above correspond
Ont does not hoe much after the SECOND
seasons crop is out. If, however, he de.
sires to get few hundred plants for set
ting out new bed, he forksup piece be.
tween the rows and manu.es it we'll, peg
down the first plants that appear, ane
pinches the runner back SO that it pro
duces but one plant. Then he has beauti
full plants for the September setting.
Michigan apple grower recommend
the practice of spraying apple trees witt
Paris green to preserve the fruit from
worms. Sprayed on just after the bios
SONS fall. the poison seems to kill off th
brood of moths that survive the winter
The brood is small, the main damage be
ing done by the later hatchines. gIere i
danger of injury to the trees by the use O
too strong solutions. One pound to gift
gallons of water is the maximum, thong
half the quantity is often sufficient. b
not allow the spray to be blown bac
against the face Of the operator.
This is nospecial art in summer prunir.
grapes Simply do not allow any shoot
to grow that you do not want to reiain nes
year. Go over the plants occasionally an
rub out with the finger and thumb Ii